Microsoft has unveiled its Universal Foldable Keyboard that can be used across iOS, Android and Windows platforms in Taiwan.The keyboard is specifically designed for Windows tablets, iPad and iPhone and has a length of 29.5cm while opened and 14.6cm closed. The keyboard supports Bluetooth communication and has a battery longevity of three months per charge and is priced at NT$2,790 (US$86).

Intel has introduced the sixth-generation Core processor family, supporting a range of device designs - from the ultra-mobile compute stick, to 2-in-1s and high-definition all-in-one desktops, to new mobile workstations.Built on the new Skylake microarchitecture on Intel's 14nm manufacturing process technology, the new Intel Core processors deliver up to two and a half times better performance, triple the battery life, and graphics that are 30 times better for gaming and video experiences compared to the average 5-year-old computer, Intel said.Intel Core M processors, which can offer twice the performance of premium tablets, will now include brand levels Intel Core m3, m5 and m7 processors to provide consumers with more clarity and choice in finding the Intel Core M processor-based device that best meets their specific needs. The Intel Compute Stick lineup expands to include a version powered by the new Intel Core M processor.The new generation of Intel processors also includes several firsts for mobile designs: a mobile K SKU that is unlocked to enable overclocking with more user control, a new quad-core Intel Core i5 processor that offers up to 60% improved mobile multitasking, and the Intel Xeon E3 processor family now powering mobile workstations. The sixth-generation Intel Core processors deliver improvements in graphics performance to offer visuals for gaming as well as Ultra HD content creation and media playback. New Intel Speed Shift technology improves the responsiveness of mobile systems so consumers can, for example, apply a photo filter up to 45% faster.In addition, the new Intel Core and Intel Xeon platforms will offer a variety of new features and experiences. More devices will feature Thunderbolt 3 for USB Type-C. A user-facing or world-facing Intel RealSense Camera will be available on a range of new Intel Core processor-based 2-in-1s, notebooks and all-in-one desktop systems, offering new depth-sensing capabilities and experiences.The new Intel Core platform will also feature Intel WiDi or Pro WiDi. The technology allows people to easily share from their computer to a TV, monitor or projector without wires and dongles.Intel sixth-generation Core processorPhoto: Company

The semiconductor industry is a highly demanding market, which is known for complex technologies and dependence on the supply chain. Teesing has supplied components, assemblies and engineering capacity to the largest lithography system builder for years. Teesing is specialized in serving worldwide customers in a technical, flexible and fast way.Teesing is specialized in systems for the supply and discharge of cooling water and distribution of UHP gases, allowing its customers to focus on their core activities. Gases with ultra-high purity (low amount of other gases) are often used in high tech industries like analytical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, semiconductor, metrology and aerospace industry. Pure gases often improve yields, consistency or improve the quality of the end-product. Teesing supplies complete delivery systems for transporting, filtering, monitoring and distributing UHP quality gas and cooling water.Cooling capacity is increasing together with the production output of OEMs thereby changing the requirements on components. These items must be suitable for the materials, for instance Ultra Pure Water, (demineralised) water or Glycol. Additionally, all parts and assemblies have to meet high cleanliness standards for use in clean rooms to avoid contamination. Teesing offers standard and customized products to meet the high specifications of end customers. Additionally it also thinks beyond purely technical specifications, such as ease of installation, cost reduction, maintenance, packaging and logistics. Teesing offers a complete package for thermal management and gas distribution, from source to process.Example of process lines, from industrial grade (below) to UHP grade (above)Photo: Company

In semiconductor manufacturing, the chemical mechanical polishing (or CMP) step is used to planarize, or create a level topography, between each layer of the interconnect structure as the device is built. The polishing slurries used in CMP are key to getting good results, as the tiny particles contained in the slurries provide the abrasives needed to achieve the final surface results. The trick, though, is to keep the working particles in the slurry unchanged during the polishing process, and at the same time, remove any large slurry particle agglomerations which cause uneven planarization conditions that are more likely to cause defects in the device layers. Gel-type particles in the slurry can also easily form during the CMP process, causing defects of their own. Finally, in order to achieve the desired results, both particle and gel defectivity causes must be managed without reducing the slurry flow rate and increasing the pressure drop leave across the filter. Flow rate is a measure of the volume of liquid that passes through the filter in a period of time. Pressure drop is a measure of the pressure required to achieve a given flow rate. Reducing pressure drop can be achieved with innovative media designs and new materials of construction.CMP filtration media, such as that manufactured by Entegris, has long been used in the CMP process to maintain the desired slurry characteristics. As device geometries shrink, however, so does the abrasive size used in advanced slurries, moving generally towards sub-50 nm particle size, and to single-digit nanometer dimensions for some specific applications. As the size of the abrasive particle decreases, however, the potential for slurry-caused defects increases, and so the CMP filter retention rating has to be lowered to tighter and tighter pore size, along with the filter design (which often now requires multiple layers of media in order to be most effective). However, these CMP filters for the most advanced polishing slurries will typically result in a decrease in the slurry flow rate when using standard media types.For advanced polishing slurries, Entegris has developed a Nano Melt Blown (NMB) filtration media with improved media porosity that addresses the problems associated with flow rate reductions during filtration. The risk of large particle agglomeration is also reduced with NMB media, as the "shear" effect is greatly reduced. The high particle holding capacity of the NMB media also extends filter life, reducing the overall cost of ownership in the filtration process. The Entegris product can also be used with tighter retention ratings, and enable filtration in bulk/chemical delivery system applications where a higher particle loading capacity is required.Entegris planargard NMB filterPhoto: Company

The Netherlands Trade & Investment Office (NTIO), the Dutch representation in Taiwan, organizes together with the Dutch High Tech industry for the third time in a row the Holland High Tech Pavilion at the SEMICON 2015 in Taipei.Since the beginning of its rapid development, the Taiwanese semiconductor industry has maintained very close ties with the Dutch semiconductor industry through flagship companies like Philips, ASML and NXP and it continues to do so through every element of the value chain.The Dutch semiconductor industry is mainly located in the Eastern and Western parts of the Netherlands and has its strength in microelectronics; process/technology research, production tools/equipment, electronic components and end-user applications, and it generates an annual turnover of EUR10 billion.The Holland High Tech Pavilion will have a large stand of 99 square meters, which will accommodate nine leading Dutch semiconductor companies and also the national applied research institute, TNO. The pavilion features technologies and products in the field of mass-flow meters and control, high tech engineering, precision manufacturing, advanced surface mount technology (SMT), laser direct imaging, ALD, advanced packaging, advance particle monitoring systems, power protection and world class semiconductor R&D.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, SEMICON Taiwan 2015 (September 2-4) highlights opportunity, innovation, and sustainability to inspire the next big idea. SEMICON Taiwan 2015 will be the largest ever - with over 700 exhibitors occupying more than 1,400 booths and attracting more than 40,000 visitors. SEMICON Taiwan connects attendees with the companies, people, products, and information for advancing the future of design and manufacturing in the advanced electronics industries.In 2015 alone, companies in Taiwan are forecast to spend in excess of US$1.5 billion on packaging and test equipment. With the growing importance of packaging and test, SEMI will host the System in Package (SiP) Global Summit 2015 from September 3-4, co-located with SEMICON Taiwan. The SiP Global Summit will bring together over 20 CTOs and industry leaders sharing their insights and perspectives on 3D-IC, through silicon via (TSV), 2.5D-IC with silicon interposer, and embedded substrate technologies.SEMICON Taiwan is an opportunity to meet and learn from more than 100 of the worldwide major players. Many of the speakers are presenting at the technology programs (SiP, Advanced Technologies in Accelerating Digital Era & IoT, MEMS and IC Design) and the business programs (Executive Summit, CFO Executive Summit, and Market Trends). Speakers at SEMICON Taiwan include professionals from: TSMC, UMC, ASE, SPIL, Broadcom, Etron, Amkor, Global Foundries, Advantest, Air Products, Applied Materials, ASM, Challentech , DAS, DISCO, Hauman, Hermes, Henkel, Hypersonic, Jipal, JSR, KLA-Tencor, Kromax, Kulicke & Soffa, Lam Research, Lintec, Marketech, Nippon Thompson, Nissan Chemical Industries, Premtek, Senju Metal Industry, Tokyo Electron, Xcerra and more.Learn the latest trends and explore innovative solutions at the TechXPOTs - hear about innovations and product developments from Marketech, Wholetech, Atlas, Nikko Metals Taiwan, Allied Supreme, Siemens PLM, 59Clean, Aerotech, Am-Power, Atotech, Cica-Huntek Chemical, LeadGas, Linx Consulting, MSG Lithoglas, Lumax, New Fast Technology, NTIO, Particle Measuring Systems, Precision Packaging Materials, Rockwell, Techgo, WaferPlus, Weltall, White Knight�Kand more.The Sustainable Manufacturing Forum on September 2 features presentations from ASE, Atlas, Edwards, Epistar, ERM, Everlight, Evonik, Innolux, Neo Solar, Nohmi Bosai, RCI Engineering, Sahtech, TSMC, and UMC.SEMICON Taiwan 20th anniversary celebration activities include: Daily Lucky Draws (Apple Watch and other great prizes), Jing Jing Festival Parades, Birthday Party, "Hooray 20" (Show your ID number or date of birth with the lucky number "20" to enter the lucky spin for exciting prizes).SEMI Taiwan hosts SEMICON Taiwan with TAITRA and TSIA as co-organizers. The event is advised by the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs.SEMICON Taiwan is entering its 20th anniversary. The scale of the event will be bigger than ever with over 700 exhibitors and is expected to attract more than 40,000 visitors.

Besides smart manufacturing, smart service is also a focus of Industry 4.0. Leveraging the industrial internet of things (IIoT), big data analysis, and expert systems, machinery makers can decrease routine and breakdown maintenance while increasing equipment availability, performance, and quality. The key lies in predictive maintenance (PM).PM uses real-time vibration analysis and quality analysis to monitor asset status and signs of falling productivity. With IoT gateways transferring vibration data to the cloud, PM engineers can remotely monitor machinery condition and identify machinery components with the potential defects. Once detecting abnormal vibration, PM engineers can notify customers to adjust production to prevent the production of defective goods. Meanwhile, PM engineers can pinpoint and repair worn parts, bringing machines back on line soon and increasing equipment availability.Product quality analysis is another way to enhance equipment performance and yield rate. For CNC and SMT equipment that are challenging for vibration sensor deployment, the shop flow control system could be used with defect analysis and traceability systems so that component issues can be traced and fixed.Cloud platforms and big data analysis help establish expert systems that use systematic ways to reason, store, and manage the expertise of human experts and perform analysis with this knowledge base. These data can be translated into machine utilization patterns to improve machine efficiency and best suitable successors prior to asset retirement. In case of malfunction, error message can be collected and used for design refinement.NEXCOM's comprehensive PM solutions cover hardware/software integrations and vibration analysis, which are introduced to semiconductor manufacturing and soon to be extended to petrochemical and electronics for smart services.For more information about NEXCOM, please visit http://www.nexcom.com/Predictive maintenance can decrease routine and breakdown maintenance while increasing equipment availability, performance, and quality.

AMICCOM, located in Taiwan Hsinchu Science Park, announces new Bluetooth Low Energy product, named A8107SiP. A8107SiP is a silicon-in-package (SiP) product and it includes A8107 and RF match circuit inside. It has 24 GPIO with multi-functions and ICE (In-Circuit Emulator). There are UART, I2C, SPI, four channels PWM, one 16-bit timer and two 8-bit timers within 24 GPIO. A8107 has two resolution ADCs. One is 12bits with 8 channels to measure external voltages and the other is 8bit for RSSI measurement. A8107SiP is 8x8 mm package and would be designed in compact products. In product design, it only need 16MHz, 32.768KHz crystals and antenna. It is very suitable for wearable devices and compact size products. Because it includes all RF circuits inside, customers are not worried about the RF circuit design, especially new start-up company or software systems house. A8108 SiP has fast 1T pipeline 8051 CPU and 128KByes flash. It also has UART, I2C, SPI, 4 channels PWM, one 16 bits timer and two 8bits timers in 24 pin count GPIOs. A8107 SiP has two separated ADCs. 12-bit ADC has eight channels for external signal measurement and the other 8-bit ADC measures RSSI signal from -100 dBm to +0 dBm. AMICCOM owned Bluetooth Low Energy since 2014. This stack is compact, flexible and supports many kinds of profiles and services for diversity applications. AMICCOM has reference codes of Android and iOS supporting OTA functions with A8107 SiP. A8107SiP is 8mm x 8 mm LGA 40 package. A8107 SiP is in mass production phase and welcome to enquiry from legal agents. Please contact AMICCOM by sales@amiccom.com.tw for more details. A8107SiP is 8x8 mm package and would be designed in compact products.

Indium Corporation will feature Heat-Spring, a compressible, recyclable, metal thermal interface material, at the IMAPS 48th Annual International Symposium on Microelectronics, Oct. 26-29 in Orlando, Fla.The use of high-power LEDs is growing exponentially due to light quality, energy efficiency, and reliability. These attributes are directly related to design and assembly methods and materials.Indium Corporation's Heat-Spring is a compressible interface material that provides 86W/mK of thermal conductivity using a pressure range of only 35 to 100+ psi. Heat-Spring is suitable for pick-and-place equipment and offers superior conductivity and ease of use, as compared to thermal grease alternatives. In addition, Heat-Spring will not bake out or pump out, optimizing long-term performance consistency and eliminating the rework process.Heat-Spring is reclaimable and recyclable, and is packaged in custom trays or tape & reel.For more information on Heat-Spring, visit www.indium.com/thermal-interface-materials/heat-spring.Indium Corporation is a premier materials manufacturer and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, solar, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil. Founded in 1934, Indium has global technical support and factories located in China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the USA.For more information about Indium Corporation, visit http://www.indium.com/ or email abrown@indium.com. You can also follow our experts, From One Engineer To Another (#FOETA), at www.facebook.com/indium or @IndiumCorp.Indium's Heat-Spring

Pursuing the goal of "The Perfect Pixel" material innovation, Merck has teamed up with local panel makers as a key strategic partner and to provide them with the crucial materials for creating better visual experiences and enjoyment. As global panel industry moves towards higher resolution, high color gamut developments as well as the widespread applications of OLED on intelligent and wearable devices, Merck will showcase a broad range of new materials addressing these requirements and to unveil novel applications of display technology in the future at 2015 Touch Taiwan.In an interview with DIGITIMES, Dr. John Lee, General Manager of Display Materials Business Unit at Merck Display Technologies, talked about the four major themes that Merck will present at this year's exhibition: High Resolution, High Color Gamut, Next Generation Display, and Beyond DisplayTaiwan's LCD panel industry have faced two major challenges since two years ago. One is the rapid expansion of 8.5-gen panel factories in China, and the other is the OLED investments made by Korean panel makers. In order to confront with the huge capital expenditure competitions from the two counties, Taiwan makers need to find new technologies to rival with OLED and set apart from other competitors. Taiwan makers decided to leverage the trend of high resolution panels, in a bid to enhance differentiation and set a new foothold for technology development and market position.High Resolution DisplayIn order to support Taiwan's panel makers, Merck has developed PS-VA (polymer stabilized vertical alignment) liquid crystals material with higher light transmission and rapid switching times. With PS-VA materials, 4K2K LCD panels will be able to provide excellent contrast and impressively vivid images with minimal power consumption, further shortening the technical gap between that of OLED panels.As panel resolution increases, four times of pixels are required to put into the same area, so the number of metal wires that connect pixels is also on the rise. Therefore, it's important to reduce the effects of cross talk that are caused by the increase of wiring density. Merck has acquired AZ Electronic Materials, which is a leading company that specializes in providing high tech materials that enables a high precision manufacturing process for LCD's. Merck's product line is now expanded to include high contrast photoresist that can be used to accurately align the sophisticated wires in lithography process. Also, by using ultralow-K SOG (Spin on Glass) material, light transmission can be effectively increased to improve the yield rate for 4K 2Kpanel manufacturing and cost control.OLED panels are advantageous in terms of contrast, switching times, thinness, curved form factor, and removing the need of using backlights and color filters. However, the LCD panel makers are also catching up. Now 4K2K LCD TV is becoming thinner like OLED TV and is existing in curved form factor. Taiwan panel makers try to make differentiation with high resolution products has already accounted for 15% market share. With excellent price and performance advantages provided by 4K2K products, Taiwan panel makers have successfully made a paradigm shift and will further drive the significant market growth in the future.In addition to providing PS-VA liquid crystal materials for large and high resolution panels, Merck also developed new UB-FFS (Ultra-Brightness Fringe Field Switching) materials to address the high resolution, high contrast, and low power consumption requirements for mobile devices. Winning the Invention Award in German and the Gold Medal Award of SID (Society for Information Display), the new material will further boost the development of various mobile devices in the future.High Color Gamut DisplayAs for the application of High Color Gamut, Merck provides LED phosphors that can upgrade average panels to high color gamut performance. The OLED materials allows OLED TV to achieve 110% of color saturation and bring forth more beautiful and vivid images to satisfy the viewer's eyes. Moreover, products made with Merck's Quantum Rod material can enhance color saturation up to 130%, while keeping high brightness features. With excellent color experience, it can perfect your display colors and power consumption to open up new display modes in the future.Merck also excels at OLED materials. The key bottleneck of OLED process is how to accurately align the mask used for large-sized panel with the glass substrate. Merck is one of the few material providers that can offer both vacuum evaporation and inkjet printing technologies for OLED manufacturing. In particular, inkjet method can discharge material onto large glass substrates, in a way to effectively reduce production cost for large size OLED.Next Generation DisplayThe third theme focuses on Next-Generation Displays, including Blue Phase and ULH (Uniform Lying Helix) materials. Both of them make use of fast switching times to provide higher light transmission and to perform the calculation of field sequential color algorithm. Also, in conjunction with backlight control, the conventional color filters are no longer needed. In addition to removing the cost of color filter, their major advantages are power efficiency, wide viewing angle, and excellent low color shift. However, it requires to overhaul the current manufacturing process and panel design. It is expected that the application of these materials will be matured in several years.Beyond DisplayFurthermore, Merck will also showcase Organic Electronics (OE) materials for the applications of flexible displays. With the emergence of wearable devices, OE materials will be playing an increasingly important role for this.The demonstration of Beyond Display is always the most eye-catching for visitors. Liquid Crystal Window (LC Window) is one of the key fields that Merck tries to expand its display technology. By making use of LC materials and working with construction and interior design industries, more intelligent products that are helpful to improve people's living quality can be developed. Merck is now developing second-generation LC Window applications. By effectively simplifying the system, architects and construction companies of green buildings can now have higher degree of design flexibility. LC Window provides a means of controlling the passage of light through the window and limiting the amount of solar energy entering the building. Merck's Innovation Center at the headquarter in Germany has adopted LC Window designs to achieve both the goals of energy-saving and modern exterior looks.Moreover, Merck applies LC technology to other fields such as dish-shaped antenna receiver. By doing so, the traditional satellite dish antenna that can't be carried around will also become portable. For the headlight design of luxury cars in Europe, LC material can also be used to enable Smart Lighting to enhance driving safety with automatic brightness adjustment when two cars are facing each other. Other applications include naked eyes 3D holography and the transparent monitors that are increasingly used at department stores and hypermarkets.Merck has established long-term customer relationships with panel makers in Taiwan. With continuing material innovations, Merck has been playing the role of hidden hero to serve the local industry. As display technologies keep evolving, Merck will actively support Taiwan's panel makers, by providing them with the most advanced materials and process technologies. Merck is dedicated to work with Taiwan makers to maintain their competitive edges in the market. Though there are many challenges ahead, the future of Taiwan's panel industry is still optimistic through taking differentiating strategies and driving innovations. Merck will also keep focusing on the development of display materials by investing in technology research and acquisition. With a wide range of products to be showcased, Merck welcomes visitors to witness its latest display technology portfolios at 2015 Touch Taiwan.Merck's Innovation Center located at the headquarter in Germany has used LC Window for energy saving and a modern look